The present invention relates generally to building modules and more particularly building modules having curved, saddle shaped surfaces which can be connected edge-to-edge to form labyrinth-like space-filling structures.
The earliest building blocks, aside from stones or bricks stacked upon one another, were probably simple wooden blocks made for stacking. In the 1950's, toy building systems were introduced which included columns and beams that could be snapped together to create an X-Y-Z coordinate framework. Flat modules could also be snapped onto the framework to create three-dimensional space-defining structures. This type of building system however, is limited since all of the components are essentially two-dimensional. The columns and beams correspond to line segments while the flat modules correspond to finite planar elements. In such a building system, the child perceives his three-dimensional construction as a composite of two-dimensional components. A further drawback of this type of building system is that it comprises many loose components which when left in the hands of children are easily lost.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,055,019, discloses a construction toy consisting of a plurality of multi-sided planar elements that snap together edge-to-edge to form various polyhedra. The construction toy is intended to teach children about relatively complex solid geometrics. However, like the X-Y-Z frameworks, the three-dimensional construction is still perceived as a composite of two-dimensional components. Moreover, the construction toy does not invite children to explore and learn about the intricately shaped voids that are inherently created in between the solid, physical components that bound them.
In U.S. Pat. No. 3,931,697, modular construction system based on a series of minimal surfaces bounded by skewed polygons. Six basic modules are described which are capable of being interconnected in various combinations to crate space-defining or space-filling structures.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,291,702 discloses a modular construction system for children which consists of a plurality of identical four-sided modules which can be “snapped together” to build a three-dimensional, space-defining structure. Each module consists of a saddle-shaped membrane of constant thickness bounded by four identical, contiguous edge surfaces. Each bounding edge lies essentially flush with the face of a circumscribing polyhedron while simultaneously lying along the edge of a circumscribing polyhedron.